Pharmacy, Health Sciences & Exercise Science

Effect of Generation Rx Programming on Knowledge and Attitudes Surrounding Prescription Drug Misuse Among Butler Students

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Location

Indianapolis, IN

Subject Area

Pharmacy, Health Sciences & Exercise Science

Start Date

11-4-2014 8:30 AM

End Date

11-4-2014 10:00 AM

Description

Background: Prescription drug misuse has a major impact on individuals, families, and communities. Nearly 7 million individuals in the United States aged 12 and over (2.6% of the population) reported nonmedical use of psychotherapeutic drugs in 2012, and emergency department visits related to prescription drugs now exceed the number due to illicit substances. The Butler University chapter of the Generation Rx Initiative was founded in 2012 with a goal of educating the campus and community on issues related to prescription drug misuse. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Butler University Generation Rx presentations at educating and changing attitudes surrounding prescription drug misuse among Butler students.

Methods: Live presentations were given to Butler students during meetings for two student organizations and one elective course on Butler's campus. Presentation content was designed to provide accurate information about prescription drug misuse, and included open discussion and situational skits. Pre- and post-surveys were provided before and after each presentation to assess changes in students' beliefs and intended behaviors surrounding prescription drug misuse.

Results: A total of 54 pre-surveys and 62 post-surveys were completed; 39 completed pre-surveys were matched with corresponding post-surveys. Of these 39 students, 10.3% (n = 4) reported misusing a prescription drug within the past year. Prior to the presentation, 51.3% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that prescription drugs were safer to abuse than illicit drugs, compared to 97.4% after the presentation. The percentage of students who stated they were "likely" or "very likely" not to misuse prescription drugs increased from 76.9% to 92.3%. Overall, 94.9% of students agreed or strongly agreed that the information presented was useful.

Discussion: Although presentations are still ongoing, our current data indicate a large apparent increase in knowledge surrounding prescription drug misuse as well as a decrease in intended behaviors related to misuse. Overall, students found the information presented useful. The study is limited by the inability to predict actual behavior from reported beliefs and intentions. However, as previous studies have shown an association between decreased perceived harmfulness of prescription stimulants and increased risk of misuse, it is encouraging that the presentations appeared to increase students' awareness of the danger of prescription drug misuse.

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Apr 11th, 8:30 AM Apr 11th, 10:00 AM

Effect of Generation Rx Programming on Knowledge and Attitudes Surrounding Prescription Drug Misuse Among Butler Students

Indianapolis, IN

Background: Prescription drug misuse has a major impact on individuals, families, and communities. Nearly 7 million individuals in the United States aged 12 and over (2.6% of the population) reported nonmedical use of psychotherapeutic drugs in 2012, and emergency department visits related to prescription drugs now exceed the number due to illicit substances. The Butler University chapter of the Generation Rx Initiative was founded in 2012 with a goal of educating the campus and community on issues related to prescription drug misuse. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Butler University Generation Rx presentations at educating and changing attitudes surrounding prescription drug misuse among Butler students.

Methods: Live presentations were given to Butler students during meetings for two student organizations and one elective course on Butler's campus. Presentation content was designed to provide accurate information about prescription drug misuse, and included open discussion and situational skits. Pre- and post-surveys were provided before and after each presentation to assess changes in students' beliefs and intended behaviors surrounding prescription drug misuse.

Results: A total of 54 pre-surveys and 62 post-surveys were completed; 39 completed pre-surveys were matched with corresponding post-surveys. Of these 39 students, 10.3% (n = 4) reported misusing a prescription drug within the past year. Prior to the presentation, 51.3% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that prescription drugs were safer to abuse than illicit drugs, compared to 97.4% after the presentation. The percentage of students who stated they were "likely" or "very likely" not to misuse prescription drugs increased from 76.9% to 92.3%. Overall, 94.9% of students agreed or strongly agreed that the information presented was useful.

Discussion: Although presentations are still ongoing, our current data indicate a large apparent increase in knowledge surrounding prescription drug misuse as well as a decrease in intended behaviors related to misuse. Overall, students found the information presented useful. The study is limited by the inability to predict actual behavior from reported beliefs and intentions. However, as previous studies have shown an association between decreased perceived harmfulness of prescription stimulants and increased risk of misuse, it is encouraging that the presentations appeared to increase students' awareness of the danger of prescription drug misuse.